Levees, removable walls in plan to protect NYC

NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing removable flood walls for much of lower Manhattan, a permanent 15-to-20-foot levee in part of Staten Island and a system of gates and levees at a Brooklyn creek as part of a nearly $20 billion plan to protect New York City from storms and global warming.

Bloomberg's proposals in a speech Tuesday also include building dunes in Staten Island and the Rockaways, and considering building a levee and a new development at the South Street Seaport that would echo nearby Battery Park City.

He's also suggesting giving $1.2 billion in grants to property owners to flood-proof their buildings.

The speech stems from a study undertaken after Superstorm Sandy.

Bloomberg says the city and Sandy relief will provide $10 billion for these projects.